Suppose Design recently finished a family house In Obama, in the Fukui prefecture on the sea of Japan. The site, situated near the beach, posed climatic problems such as damage from the sea breeze.  The client – the director of a company opposite the house – wished to combine openness on the ground floor to allow for parking spaces for his clients with more protected first floor living spaces.

 

 

 

Kitchen space, bathrooms, study corners and storage are strategically placed at the perimeter of the site to form a buffer around the living areas and bedrooms to protect them from the harsh climate.  Light and air are allowed in through the insertion of courtyards with glass-framed walls between the rooms.  It opposes the notion of letting the outside world in and offers an intimate controlled environment, but one that can be very open at the same time.